The definition of existence/ essence

[Rosabel]

I was remembering about some things that were discussed in some psychology/philosophy classes in college plus some episodes in my life. All of them made me wonder about this kind of definition or undefinition of "essence" or "existence".

Seeing different theories, I saw that it's really difficult to find a consensus about it in general, and I think the best is to find a personal truth.

When I was about 14, I had a difficult time dealing with a "existential crisis". To solve my problem I started to think about what I should value in my life, what I should do and what I should think to make my time on Earth worthy. It was a little bit early, but I passed 2 years thinking about it hardly and I still think, as I am young, and every piece of experience, to me, must show me some purpose (big or small), but all the "crisis" is over as the solving of the problem fulfill gradually my needs that appear (and maturing helps very much). And conquering ideals (intrapersonal and interpersonal) has an important role in my life.

Not everyone needs to pass a time of "crisis" or depression in the search of self or purpose, but everyone has an idea of what's their existence and what's really essence to them.

So what defines this concepts to you? Some philosopher sums up your thoughts or you agree with one of them?

 

[WALMART]

"As a duck above water dives below out of existence, a man is both exposed when birthed and concealed upon death"


I don't know, the analogy has stuck with me for some reason, even if I don't agree.






“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”


That about sums it up, for me.

 

[Cellmold]

[MENTION=16274]Rosabel[/MENTION]

I had a similar experience around that age, or possibly younger. I ended up measuring myself against notions of significance in a vast and mainly incomprehensible universe.

I suspect most people do it at some point in their lives, but I could easily imagine that many dont as well. For me it was simply a matter of mental reorganisation.
Afterall I can hardly change our insignificance outside of human reference can I?

So I changed my relationship to the problem and so the problem changed as well and became an interesting perspective rather than a troubling dissonance.
But there are those who get stuck in such a concept...possibly for most of their lives.. Some will find it fascinating and use it to drive their interests in life...such as theoretical physics. However many subordinate their ego's to the enormity of reality outside of this planet.

In and of itself the consideration is not bad, but obsess too much and give it too much power and you end up wasting your life in a constant state of anxious uncertainty. An understanding of the universe has a slim chance of being understood in our time....perhaps not ever. This is not to say people shouldn't consider such thoughts, quite the opposite, but they should go in with a mindset capable of weathering the revelations and insights that an idea of this sorts requires.

 

[Rosabel]

[MENTION=16274]Rosabel[/MENTION]

I had a similar experience around that age, or possibly younger. I ended up measuring myself against notions of significance in a vast and mainly incomprehensible universe.

I suspect most people do it at some point in their lives, but I could easily imagine that many dont as well. For me it was simply a matter of mental reorganisation.
Afterall I can hardly change our insignificance outside of human reference can I?

So I changed my relationship to the problem and so the problem changed as well and became an interesting perspective rather than a troubling dissonance.
But there are those who get stuck in such a concept...possibly for most of their lives.. Some will find it fascinating and use it to drive their interests in life...such as theoretical physics. However many subordinate their ego's to the enormity of reality outside of this planet.

In and of itself the consideration is not bad, but obsess too much and give it too much power and you end up wasting your life in a constant state of anxious uncertainty. An understanding of the universe has a slim chance of being understood in our time....perhaps not ever. This is not to say people shouldn't consider such thoughts, quite the opposite, but they should go in with a mindset capable of weathering the revelations and insights that an idea of this sorts requires.

I agree completely with you! It's exactly that, a mental reorganization thing. In the 2 years I mentioned I was thinking hardly about the issue, what caused me depression, but otherwise it was rather good because it was the time I needed to reorganize my thoughts, my objectives and my sense of self. Passed these 2 years, I still think about some existential issues, but only to remember my purpose and objectives, and no way I'll be obsessed by/ think too much about it again, mainly because I don't need anymore! As you, I really think that people who thinks too much about it will have a lifetime of anxiety, inner turmoil etc. And I may add that there's a big chance to them to get stuck and don't live their lives fully (as far as possible), what I think is really important, due to those thoughts about how a human being is small.

In short, for me reorganizing the mind and finding what matters to oneself is really a great way to deal with these kind of issues.

 

[UniqueMixture]

For me it is about the boundary between self-reflective perception and observation, the ontology of sets or partitions of selves acting in concert to form a cohesive whole, becoming as you love, and pushing just past your comfort zone to experience it all anew in the next quanta of time.

 

[RaptorWizard]

I think of the existence as being a mental hologram of God's mind and he is the one who programmed the laws into this game we inhabit. The dream would be to hack the codifications of this game and thereby become the masters of creation. Existence is a manifestation of mind power though the source from which mind power springs I know not. It is the focus of our mind power that determines our reality and what manifests into existence.